In Memory of Lt. Craig Lehner, The New K-9 Training Center

It was a day full of emotions as the K-9 training facility, located on Louisiana Street in Buffalo, was renamed to honor fallen officer Lt. Craig E. Lehner. Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown made the announcement today in the presence of family, friends, Buffalo Police, and K-9 teams from around the area.

As great as this seems, to honor the fallen officer, the family of Lt. Lehner almost didn't make it to today's renaming ceremony. According to WGRZ, the family found out about the event only hours before it started thanks to a family friend. The family told WGRZ that the City of Buffalo did not invite them to the event. Lt. Lehner's sister, Donna Wilson had this to say:

"It was kind of rough," admits Wilson, "last minute...trying to get ready. But in a way, we kinda say that's the story of our lives...just one thing after another."

It was just in January that Lehner's sister filed a notice of claim against the City of Buffalo and the Buffalo Police Department for her brother's death. Although this was not a lawsuit, it's typically leads to one. Could this be the reason the City neglected to notify them about today's event? WGRZ reached out to Mayor Brown on why the family was not invited to the event, The Mayor replied with this comment:

"The family is officially invited to anything that we do that involves Ofr. Lehner," Brown responded. "This is simply an announcement that we will do a dedication. This is not the actual dedication of the facility."

On a happier note, Craig's mother, Kathleen Lehner, and sister, Donna Wilson, were in fact present and able to help unveil the new sign. They had this to say:

"We felt rushed, but we're here. And we're very happy we were able to be a part of it."